🇬🇧 1/9 Short🧵 Good for a chuckle. The Allied invasion of Sicily which occurred 81 years ago today in the Second World War (1939-1945) was also composed of an airborne component in which paratroopers were to land in the late evening/early morning of 09-10 July 1943.
🇬🇧 2/9 During the evening of 09 July 1943 several of the British Airborne Division's gliders were thrown into disarray due to a combination of a thunderstorm & some anti-aircraft fire coming up from the island down below.
🇬🇧 3/9 One parachute glider was able to land intact & as the soldiers organized themselves they were approached by two men driving a jeep who, after stopping, demanded to know what the hell these soldiers were doing.
🇬🇧 4/9 When the platoon commander stated that they were not far from their landing zone close to the Sicilian town of Syracuse, "...and what business was it of this chap anyway?" the two very-British soldiers in the jeep replied:
🇬🇧 5/9 "We are sorry to inform you that you are not in Sicily, but on the main airstrip at MALTA, and what's more, you are blocking one of the runways and the fighters cannot take off.
🇬🇧 6/9 So, please take the jeep and pull, not only the trailer, but also this bloody glider 200 yards in that direction!" It was not the only "glider mishap" that occurred during this particular operation.
🇬🇧 7/9 Another group of paratroopers could not figure out why Sicily was all flat and sand - they had in fact landed in North Africa & were eventually picked up by a British mobile bath unit.
🇬🇧 8/9 Another group of paratroopers whose glider crashed into the sea swam for their lives towards a naval ship. After they climbed on board they were beaten senseless by a number of British sailors who did not recognize the paratroopers' uniforms...
🇬🇧 9/9 ...and thought they were being attacked by Germans who were trying to sneak aboard during the darkened hours. From "Bitter Victory: The Battle for Sicily, 1943" by Carlo D'Este. https://t.co/LyyBz7U5Y1